Britain's infrastructure tsar has put pressure on the chancellor to ban new diesel and petrol cars by 2030 - ten years earlier than planned.

Sir John Armitt has appealed to the government to commit to a 'once in a generation' upgrade of Britain's transport, energy and broadband networks while tackling climate change.

In a letter to Phillip Hammond ahead of the Autumn spending review, the government's most senior infrastructure adviser said it must demonstrate a 'genuine commitment to change'.

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In a letter to Phillip Hammond ahead of the Autumn spending review, the government's most senior infrastructure adviser said it must demonstrate a 'genuine commitment to change' and outlined a 2030 deadline for banning diesel and petrol cars (stock)

Urging Mr Hammond to commit to the proposals made in its national infrastructure assessment last July, Sir John warned against a strategy built on 'vague promises' that only paid 'lip service' to his body' recommendations'.

One of the commission's key proposals is for the government to invest more heavily in infrastructure to prepare for all new vehicle sales to be electric by 2030.

This echoes a call made by the government's environmental advisers, the Committee on Climate Change, earlier this month.

It represents another direct challenge to the government's plans to phase out new petrol and diesel models by 2040.

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Sir John said: 'The Government must not deliver a weak strategy that pays only lip service to our recommendations.

'We don't want to hear vague promises and a restatement of existing commitments.'

The government been widely criticised by MPs, environmental campaigners and even the National Grid for not setting a more ambitious deadline, like some other countries, including Norway, Denmark and India.

WHAT ARE GOVERNMENT PLANS TO ERADICATE PETROL AND DIESEL CARS?

At present, the Government's ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars is set to come into effect by 2040.

Scotland has a different set of guidelines, indicating the switch-over and ban of petrol or diesel vehicles should happen by 2032.

The Committee on Climate Change believes the date should be brought forward to 2030 – or 2035 at the very latest.

It predicts electric cars will be roughly the same price as their traditionally powered counterparts by around 2024 to 2025.

Current targets in England mean internal combustion engines will still be n the road in 2050, producing large amounts of greenhouse gases.

But there is a huge way to go before electric cars are embraced by the general public.

Of the 35million cars on the roads, fewer than 60,000 are fully electric. Electric cars also still account for less than one in every 100 new cars sold.

As well as being expensive, drivers have expressed concerns about the lack of charging points and the prospect of running out of battery power at the side of the road.

Advisory firm KPMG has estimated that £100billion will have to ploughed into infrastructure over the next decade - including in installing tens of thousands of charging points.

And the Committee on Climate Change has estimated that there will have to be at least 200,000 public charging points, including 107,000 rapid chargers, by 2050 - up from the 19,000 available now.

The NIC has insisted that both these challenges can be overcome, with car batteries even used to return power back to the National Grid when they are plugged in.

It has said most cars will be charged overnight, rather than at peak times - easing pressure on the grid.

But last night motoring groups radical changes - and huge amounts of taxpayers' money - will be needed to persuade British drivers to switch to an electric car by 2030.

His letter echoes a call made by the government's environmental advisers, the Committee on Climate Change, earlier this month. It represents another direct challenge to the government's plans to phase out new petrol and diesel models by 2040 (stock)

Mike Hawes, chief executive, of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said: 'Manufacturers are already investing and delivering the vehicles, but they cannot dictate the pace of demand and such rapid market transformation will require all stakeholders to work hard to encourage buyer confidence. A long term government commitment to fiscal incentives and infrastructure is essential if our shared ambitions are to be achieved quickly.'

RAC spokesman Simon Williams said: 'The lack of charging infrastructure is a major concern for drivers thinking of making the switch to electric. Our findings indicate the average minimum range before having to recharge would need to be around 390 miles, while upfront costs are also a significant barrier.'

A Treasury spokeswoman said: 'The Government will respond in full to the NIC's assessment through a National Infrastructure Strategy which will be published later this year.'